2 Month Anniversary

Its a little over 2 months now since my surgery.  I can't update my weight statistics because I'm not at home near my scale, and I don't have a reliable scale nearby.  I will post an update when I get home in a few days.  I have noticed a few changes though, during this trip to Melbourne.  The plane ride was so much more comfortable, relaxed and not the embarrassment it usually is. The seat belt fitted easily and after tightening had several inches to spare. I did not get stuck in my seat when I got up.  I dropped the pillow on the floor and instead of being a major embarrassing drama as I couldn't retrieve a dropped item, I simply bent down and picked it up!  Also the food tray was nice and horizontal instead of the food leaning dangerously as the tray balanced on my stomach.  

My luggage at check in was almost equivalent to the weight I have lost so far.  That to me is mind boggling as I still have so much weight to lose.  And my suitcase feels so heavy to lift!  When I came to buckle my seat belt in the back of my parent's car - it did up instead of me pretending and holding it across myself.

Another major event occurred which I almost didn't notice.  I was sitting on the couch chatting and I suddenly realised something very odd. I said to my mother "Do you notice anything strange?"  I was sitting with my legs crossed! I have not been able to do that for years.  I had managed to cross my legs about a month ago, ie get them crossed, but not sit comfortably.

I have bought a pair of leather tramping boots and it is my intention to go on some walks, the first of which will be a trip next weekend to Mt Tongariro, to do part of the famous Tongariro Crossing.  I don't feel up to climbing the mountain, but feel very proud that I am making a start.

I had set a goal of doing the Duathlon in May, and then thought it may be a bit ambitious. However my exercise regime, walking and doing the exercycle, has brought my fitness level up very quickly and without the extra weight on my feet its a real pleasure to walk.  I am still aware of my foot injury, but the feeling is not pain any more.  

My weight loss is by no means rapid, but with my increased fitness has come a positive attitude and a feeling of strength returning.  I feel great.

NSV's - what are they?

Non Surgical Victories are those little moments when you experience a gift from losing that weight. For example, yesterday, in the blistering heat of one of Auckland's hottest summers for years, we lay on rugs in the garden under the shade of our golden elm. I fell asleep with the sound of the cicadas. It was lovely. 12 kilos (25 lbs approx) ago I could not lie on the ground. It was excrutiating and getting up again was a real problem. Yes I still am a bit ungainly getting to my feet, but it is so much better than it was. I felt encouraged at the greater mobility and had a bath. Not too bad but I'm looking forward to lying in a bath where the water actually covers me!

Another NSV was being at the Big Gay Out - which I go to every year (part of the Hero Festival in Auckland) and not dodging having my photo taken. I know I'm not skinny yet, but I feel so much more confident of my appearance at present.

I'm working my way back through clothes I haven't been able to wear, some of them have hardly had any use at all. And a lovely fresh water pearl necklace that was just too tight looks great. Its fun and I don't have to spend any money yet!

Home again

The operation went like a dream. Nothing to report - totally uneventful. It was surprisingly quick, about 2 hours, and I was waking up to a slightly sore throat and a kind of dullish pain (not much of one) at the top of my tummy. The painkillers used post op were good old paracetamol, intravenously in my drip, to avoid any nausea or vomiting. I have 5 small dressings over the 5 small holes and very little else to show for it! Laparascopic surgery is amazing. The small surgical hospital was clean - really clean, and the staff were very kind and very professional. I have only the highest praise for my surgeon Robert Fris, he is a very skilled and knowledgeable man, but also comes across in a warm and caring way. Big ups to the anaesthestist Ian Harrison too, who took lots of time to explain things, even the icky question that my son was curious about - "How do they get the bit of the stomach out that they have removed?". Answer - "You don't want to know..."

The healing is going very well. I'm on liquids all this week, thin liquids. Next week will be thicker liquids. I'm not having any difficulty getting my meals in and sipping water between the meals. I did at first, it was late Thursday (op was on Tuesday) before my tiny new stomach seemed to 'open up' and let things through. I feel full after my glass of Up and Go - or whatever I'm drinking. I am thinking about food, and that will no doubt pass in time. I dreamed of big fat greasy chips last night. There is definately a part of me that will miss eating junk food. The price for eating that rubbish is too high though and I'm not going to torture myself by hanging onto it.

There are a whole lot of foods that are really tasty and healthy at the same time, and I look forward to meal planning with a different viewpoint. The old me with the seemingly endless stomach capacity would think how I could make things filling...like pasta and potatoes etc, pure starch. I went for the filling things because I never did feel full. I was hungry all the time, even after eating 2 plates of curry and rice I would be thinking of what to have for desert. I still don't fully understand how I got to be like that. Even when I made healthy food choices the constant hunger would be there.

I feel as if its the start of a whole new life.